The science of chocolate
- Pruning influence on Bolivia’s native cacao and flower yields
A look at a long-term field study from Bolivia that challenges one of the most routine pieces of cacao-growing advice: Pruning a tree is reliably good for its yield. Rather than a short-term trial, this paper tracked three real cultivation systems, side by side, for a follow up of 11 years, which makes its central, rather uncomfortable finding hard to wave away: pruning Theobroma cacao trees does not increase the trees yield. Agroforestry versus secondary forest (a little background first)Cacao Nacional Boliviano (CNB), is a native Bolivian cacao group prized for its fine flavour and genetic distinctiveness. It is still… Read more: Pruning influence on Bolivia’s native cacao and flower yields - The Maillard reaction shapes each chocolate bar differentlyA analytical study that is measuring exactly how far the Maillard reaction goes in commercial chocolate. They arebcomparing dark, milk, white and filled bars. Chocolate production involves several heating steps, and when there’s heat, sugar and protein together in a bowl, browning chemistry follows. The authors of this paper set out to measure that chemistry directly. They choose 31 real, commercially bought chocolates, rather than just assuming it happens the same way everywhere, and hit it off. What the Maillard reaction actually is (a little background first)You’ve almost certainly tasted this reaction before, even if you’ve never heard of its… Read more: The Maillard reaction shapes each chocolate bar differently
- A complete “haplotype-resolved” genome map for CCN51A closer look at the published genome assembly for CCN51. This is the single most widely planted cacao variety in Latin America, and one that comes with a genuinely mixed reputation. This paper is a resource paper rather than an idea driven experiment. The authors built, and thoroughly validated, the highest-quality genetic map of this variety produced to publication date, rather than setting out to test one specific question. So this is more of a “what they built, and how they proved it’s reliable” story than a “what they did to prove something” one. What a genome assembly actually is.… Read more: A complete “haplotype-resolved” genome map for CCN51
- The risks of toxic metals in Ghana’s cocoa farm soilsThis time I looked at a soil-testing study conducted in Ghana’s Bono Region. It’s one of the country’s most important cocoa-growing areas. The paper sets out to answer a fairly blunt question: after decades of fertiliser and pesticide use on cocoa farms, how much heavy metal has actually built up in the soil, and is it a problem for the people living and working there? Not a ‘fun’ topic, but definateley an important one that should not be overlooked. Where heavy metals in farm soil actually come from (a little background first)“Heavy metals” in this context means a specific list… Read more: The risks of toxic metals in Ghana’s cocoa farm soils
- Comparing two DNA sequencing platforms for tracking cacao fermentation microbesThis time we take a look at a comparative study that puts two different DNA sequencing technologies head to head on the same topic: cacao fermentation. Can a cheaper, portable option actually replace the lab-bound gold standard? The authors of this paper followed a spontaneous fermentation of Nacional x Trinitario cacao in Ecuador, sampling at several day’s. They then analysed every sample using both an Illumina sequencer and a small, portable Oxford Nanopore MinION device. This was the first time this particular device (the MinION) has been tested and compared on the specifics of cacao fermentation. Shotgun metagenomics, and Illumina… Read more: Comparing two DNA sequencing platforms for tracking cacao fermentation microbes
Chocolate posts
- European Markets Academy – Chocoa 2026
I walked into the Beurs van Berlage on the 17th of February, already a bit on a coco high, purely because of high expectations. Chocoa 2026, Amsterdam’s Chocolate Week, had been running since the 16th, starting with the farmers’ day (which I’d love to have joined, but unfortunateley my funds have limits, thus I missed out). With the academy ticket I purchased, I got to sign up to visit the global logistics and warehousing company; the C. Steinweg Group. What is the European Markets Academy?The European Markets Academy (EMA) is Chocoa’s one-day deep dive into actually trading cocoa into Europe.… Read more: European Markets Academy – Chocoa 2026 - Different ways to chocolate
Ask someone what chocolate is for, and most people say the same thing: a bar, snapped and eaten or snacked upon as a sweet treat. Fair enough…. Drinking chocolate is gaining popularity too and often called out second, when people are aked how they enjoychocolate. But there are many more ways to enjoy cacao and chocolate, so here I hope to serve you your chocolate options. Just the bar itselfThis is obviously the most known way to enjoy chocolate, and honestly, my favourite. From fine artisan makers, using 2 or 3 ingredients. No additions, nothing to hide behind. During my… Read more: Different ways to chocolate - The fermentation process
Fermentation is where chocolate flavour actually begins to exist as something we can influence. Don’t get me wrong, the tree, location, farmer, genetics, they all matter!What I mean to emphasise is that with fermentation we can influence the process more targeted. Whyis it this step and not roasting, or drying? Because this is where the raw material (the beans) stops being just a seed and starts becoming something you would actually want to eat (eventually). Time to open upThe pods that were harvested, the moment they open up, that is where the fermentation story starts. The moment the beans, covered… Read more: The fermentation process - Storing your chocolate: the do’s and dont’s
I currently have somewhere around 17 kilos of chocolate sitting at home. A mix of craft bars and callets/drops (also known as couverture) that I bake with. You can find more on the Dutch part of my blog, which, should you be interested, is very easy to translate with today’s computational tools. Back to the chocolate: Keeping all of that in good condition is basically a small logistics project, especially durning summer heatwaves. What good storage actually looks likeGiving some numbers, dark chocolate is happiest at a steady 15 °C to 18 °C . Both milk chocolate and white chocolate… Read more: Storing your chocolate: the do’s and dont’s - The harvest
Imagine walking in a lush jungle and finding a gorgeous Theobroma cacao tree, full of flowers and pods in all different stages. Some are small, but some look ripe for harvest. What to do at harvesting time? How do farmers even know a pod is ready?Colour is the first clue. A pod that was green when young often turns a deep yellow or orange. One that started red can shift towards crimson or purple; it all depends on the variety. Farmers can also choose to do a tap test. They ‘knock knock’ the pod and listen for a deep, hollow… Read more: The harvest
Nieuwste recepten
- Gevulde chocolade reep met pistachepasta en kadayif
- Yoghurt blauwe bessen taart
- Yoghurt frambozen taart
- Gember koekjes met pecan noten en havermout koekjes
- Bananenbrood met kaneel crumbel
- Mon Chou Crunch Cup
- Karamel taart
- Brownies extra choco
- Lemonbars
- After Eight cupcakes
Food talk
- The big five: Vocht
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, vocht en suiker. Vocht wordt vaak vergeten of men ziet het niet gezien als een ingrediënt. Zelf vond ik dit de lastigste van de 5 om uit te leggen, vooral omdat het zo gigantisch veel omvat. Meestal (uitzonderingen nagelaten) is vocht onmisbaar in je baksel. De slogan van het stoepje “I Love Natte Cake” is bekend bij vele, maar hoe zit het nu precies met vocht? Hoe gebruik je melk, water en… Read more: The big five: Vocht - The big five: Suiker
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, suiker en vocht. Suiker is een ‘hot en happening’ thema en het gebruik van verschillende soorten geeft een ander resultaat in je baksel. Hoewel ik zeker geen expert ben, deel ik graag met je wat ik na wat zoeken, luisteren, lezen en speuren heb geleerd over suiker. - The big five: Eieren
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, suiker en vocht. Een ei hoort erbij! Of toch niet? Een ei is enorm veelzijdig en zeer voedingsrijk. Bakken zonder eieren is een uitdaging. Graag vertel ik jullie wat ik na wat zoeken, luisteren, lezen en speuren heb geleerd. - The big five: Vet
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, suiker en vocht. Bij het woord ‘vet’ hebben de meeste mensen gelijk een negatieve associatie. Terwijl het zo veel smaak toe kan voegen aan je baksels! Gebruik het met mate en je kunt er van genieten. Wat zeg ik: Je hebt het zelfs nodig! Vet is een bron van energie, vitamine A, vitamine D, vitamine E en essentiële vetzuren. Graag vertel ik jullie wat ik na wat zoeken, luisteren, lezen en speuren heb… Read more: The big five: Vet - The big five: Meel
Graag wil ik jullie wat meer vertellen over ‘The big five’ van de (thuis)bakker, zoals Eke Mariën ze in zijn bakboek ‘bakken met kennis’ noemt. Meel, vet, eieren, suiker en vocht. Laten we beginnen met meel. Wat is nu eigenlijk meel en wat is bloem? Wanneer gebruik je patent bloem en waarom is Zeeuwsebloem nu beter voor koekjes? Graag vertel ik jullie wat ik na heel wat lezen, zoeken en experimenteren heb geleerd.